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ERP Implementation Team: Roles and Responsibilities
Who you need on an ERP implementation team: sponsor, project lead, key users, data owner, consultants and developers, with realistic time commitments.
Industry · Construction & Property
Construction ERP that shows job profit while the job is still running
Contractors usually find out a job lost money after it is finished. Costs arrive late, change orders are agreed on site and invoiced weeks later, subcontractor payments do not match progress, and retention sits forgotten on the balance sheet.
- M01Projects / Job Costing
- M02Purchasing
- M03Accounting
- M04Timesheets
- M05Equipment
- M06Documents
Context
ERP in construction
Construction ERP organises everything around the job: budget by cost code, commitments as they are made, actual costs as they arrive, and billing that keeps pace with progress.
01Operational challenges
What usually breaks before the ERP project starts
01
Late cost visibility
Committed costs not visible until invoices arrive, hiding overruns.
02
Untracked change orders
Variations agreed verbally on site and never billed.
03
Progress billing errors
Applications for payment built in spreadsheets with retention tracked separately.
04
Subcontractor compliance
Insurance certificates and licences expiring unnoticed.
02Core flows
How the ERP should handle each part of the business
- Sales flow
- Bids built from estimates; awarded contracts become projects with schedule of values; progress billing by percentage complete or measured quantities, with retention.
- Procurement
- Purchase orders and subcontracts committed against job cost codes; approvals by project manager.
- Inventory
- Materials delivered direct to site and charged to jobs; yard stock for common items.
- Warehouse
- Yard and equipment store with transfers to sites.
- Accounting
- Job cost ledger by cost code; WIP reporting; retention receivable and payable; revenue recognition per policy.
- CRM
- Bid pipeline, client relationships and tender tracking.
03Industry workflows
Workflows specific to construction
01
Budget vs committed vs actual
Each cost code shows budget, commitments and actuals with forecast to complete.
02
Change order management
Variations recorded, priced, approved and added to contract value and billing.
03
Progress claims with retention
Applications for payment generated with retention withheld and released later.
04
Subcontractor payments
Payments approved against certified progress and compliance documents.
04 — Reporting
Reports that should come out of the system, not a spreadsheet
- Job cost and forecast-at-completion by cost code
- WIP schedule (over/under billing)
- Retention receivable and payable
- Change orders pending approval
- Equipment utilisation and cost
- Subcontractor compliance status
05 — Compliance
Compliance considerations
Construction carries contract-specific obligations, lien rules, certified payroll on public works in some jurisdictions, safety documentation and subcontractor insurance requirements. The ERP should store compliance documents and support required reporting; confirm specific rules with your advisors.
Regulatory requirements vary by jurisdiction. We configure the system to support your obligations; confirm specific rules with your auditor or compliance advisor.
06 — Integrations
Systems the ERP needs to talk to
Estimating software, project scheduling tools, document and drawing management, field timesheet apps, and payroll systems are common integrations.
07AI opportunities
Where AI is genuinely useful here
Practical uses that sit on top of clean ERP data. None of them replace getting the core transactions right first.
01
Subcontractor document checks
Read insurance certificates and record coverage and expiry dates.
02
Daily report summaries
Summarise site reports for project managers.
03
Invoice coding
Suggest job and cost code for supplier invoices.
08ERP modules
Modules a typical deployment includes
- M01Projects / Job Costing
- M02Purchasing
- M03Accounting
- M04Timesheets
- M05Equipment
- M06Documents
- M07Sales / Billing
- M08CRM
09Roadmap
Implementation roadmap
- 01
Cost code structure
Standard cost codes and job templates.
- 02
Commitments and actuals
Purchasing and subcontracts tied to jobs.
- 03
Billing
Progress claims, retention and change orders.
- 04
Field data
Timesheets and site reporting from mobile.
10Common mistakes
Mistakes we see repeatedly
01
Too many cost codes
Detailed codes nobody uses accurately produce worse data.
02
Ignoring commitments
Actual-only reporting hides overruns.
03
Billing outside the system
Spreadsheet progress claims break the link to job revenue.
04
Forgetting retention
Retention must be tracked for both customers and subcontractors.
Explore further
Related services, solutions and platforms
Insights
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can the ERP handle progress billing and retention?
Yes, with progress-based invoicing and retention tracking; complex AIA-style formats may need customised reports.
Can site staff record time on mobile?
Yes, through mobile timesheets or integration with field apps.
How do we see if a job is losing money?
Budget, commitments, actuals and forecast-to-complete per cost code show overruns early.
Similar industries
Industries with related workflows
Next step
Find out about losses after the job ends?
We will show live job costing on your projects.